Apparatus for covering cores



April 5, 1949, GUILD 2,466,417

APPARATUS FOR COVERING CORES Filed Dec. 23, 1947 s Sheets-Shet 1 INVEA/ TOR L. R GU /L 0 B My 4 T TORNEV April 5,- 1949. R. GUILD 2,466,417

I APPARATUS FOR COVERING CORES Filed Dec. 22, 1947 s Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. E

A T TOR/V5) p 1949- R. GUILD I 2,466,417

APPARATUS FOR COVERING CORES Filed Dec. 22, 1947 SSheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 5

FIG. FIG. 7

' 48 :EEE

r INVENTOR I LR. GUILD A T TORNE' V Patented Apr. 5, 1949 omm-ED PATENT 2.4661417 arrmaruswnon coveeme' ooREs Ltirne'RfGuildfBaltimore, Ma. assig ior tdW-estf "ern'El'ectric Company, Incorporated; NewYork, N. $1.; a corporation of NewYork Application December 22, 1-947; Serial Natas a's This invention relates toapparatuslfor' covering articles, and more particularly to apparatus for applyingbraided co-veringsto 'gr'oupsof insulated conductors.

In 1 the manufacture 'of strand assemblies, for example. muitne'onductor cords, it is desirable in 'some instances "to form ai'protctive' tirtile covering "over ai-plurality of "individually ifisulated' conductors by braiding, knitting, "or the like. Ifthe textile covering isapplied'too"tight1y7to the individually insulatedcendu'etors; the "eave'ring cuts into' the insulated covering --and Timpairs their insulating z-"prcperties; "Onthe other hand," if the" teXtile' covering is applicator; loosely over the insulated conductor; slipping of thetextile coverings occurs. 7 In' the past} integral members including"conductor-guiding and braid enlarging or softeningpins have been usedto control the tightness of the' textile covering appiied on the'insulated "conductors and to guide the conductors. However, if these softening" pins" are small they break easily, thereby requiring replacement of the entiredevice. 7

An object o-fthe invention is to provide new and improved apparatu-s for -covering articles.

A further object of the inventicn is -to provide new and improved conductor-guiding-and braidsoftening devices for braiding machines. V Amapparatus illustratingfcertain featuresof the invention includes means 7 for guiding a plurality of conductors, a softening pin, and-means for locking the softening pin detachably to the conductor-guiding means.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of an apparatus illustrating certain features of the invention, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic, front elevation of an apparatus illustrating certain features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical section taken along line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, horizontal section taken along line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, horizontal section taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, horizontal view similar to Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, vertical section taken along lines E-B of Fig. 5, and

Fig. '7 is an enlarged, vertical section taken along line 11 of Fig. 6.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, cordage In (Fig, 4) comprising a plurality of individual insulated conductors 12 -42 ...grouped V around atiktilecord "i4 and abrai'ded covering it T is formed by: a braiding machine .I'B, which braidsstrands 7204-21! into the covering -1| 6 and throws'loop po'rtions'22-22 ofthe conductors |2l2 out of the covering l6 at regularlyispac'e'd intervals. The braiding mac'hineTB isLgeri-erally si-rnilar -to that disclosed -'Iin"W."'T."' Barrans "et a1. PatentTLQ'MS'TQI issuedI April 17, "I934.

"The braidingmachine 18' '(Fig. 1)"in cludes copcarriers 1.2 4:24 and a J cylinder 3B at" the top of which a guiding and softening "'dvice"'32 is mounted. "The conductors'l'2+'l z pass upwardl as "viewed in "Fig. 2, through needles 34 34 "to thel'gui ding' and sftening device "3'2. A support 35 -"Iriblinte'd slid'ably in the cylln d'efw moves the needles M B' l upwardly"withres pect to the cylinder '30 "at regular interval to form with a. chuck "36 "the 'lo'bYpd YDorti'ons 22 22. A tube '38 fastened rigidly tothe' cylinderfifl g'ui'desthe stay-card l 4 upthe cylinderiifl to thelguidin'g and softening" device 32. 'Thepos'itionof the"tube"'38 at'the'peripheryhfthe cyliriderpermits threading the stay cordthroughthe tube without"rempvingthe checker.

""The "device"32 '(Fig. 6) includes asubstantially "frusto'c'onicaf' guide 40 and a pair" of softening pins fiz-efl each "having *a swaged end, 'of w hich a -s'wa'ged *en d tt bf-cncof the pins is-'shown. The pins z tz are meumeu slidably in spaced. boresWG G-B 4mg. 5) form'ed i-n the: guide 4'0, and are locked therein by a shoulder 48 formed on a double-size stud 50 (Fig. 6). The stud includes a small shank 52 threaded into a tapped bore 54 formed axially in the guide 40 and a large shank 56, which is designed to be threaded into a tapped bore 51 formed in a spider 58 fastened to the cylinder 39. The stud 50 may be disengaged from the guide ii! to permit removal and reinsertion or replacement of the softening pins 42-42.

The guide 40 is provided with a pair of large grooves 60-50 for guiding pairs of the conductors l2l2, and also is provided with a small groove 62 for guiding one of the conductors I2--l2. The grooves 5!l6il and the groove 62 are spaced from each other and space the conductors around the axis of the guide. An L-shaped passage 64 guides the stay-cord M from the tube 38 (Fig. 2) to a position centered among the conductors IZI2.

Operation The braiding machine is serves to bun-ch the conductors l2|2 around the stay-cord l4 and to braid the strands 2fl--2ii into the covering 16 around the conductors 12-12 to form the cord H), which is advanced upwardly, as viewed in Fig. 2. The braid is formed around the conductor |2-l2 at a point in the braiding machine [8 about half way up the softening pins 42-42 so that the softening pins 4242 act as a braiding center. The softening pin 42-42 are spaced apart a distance such that they cause the covering IE to be larger than if they were not present so that the degree of tightness of the covering 16 is optimum. The stay-cord I4 is brought into the center of the conductors I2-l2 by the guide 40, which also spaces the conductors l2-l2 around the stay-cord I4 as the conductor are bunched together by the action of the strands 20-20 being braided into the covering IS.

The device 32 may be disassembled in order that the pins 42-42 may be repaired or replaced. This device accurately spaces the conductors l2l2 and the stay-cord [4 as these elements are moved together by the covering 16. The softening pins 4242 also serve to hold the cordage l0 centered with respect to the braiding machine as the covering [6 is formed around the conductors l2l2.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for forming coverings over cores including means for advancing a plurality of core elements along a predetermined path and means for forming a textile covering around the core elements at a predetermined point in said path, a device for guiding the core elements and for enlarging the covering, which comprises a core guide provided with a plurality of openings spaced therearound for spacing the core elements with respect to each other as they are advanced toward said point in the path thereof, said guide being provided with a passage therein for guiding at least one of said elements into the center of the remainder of the core elements, a pin, and means for securing the pin to the guide in a position in which the pin projects through the covering forming point.

2. In an apparatus for forming coverings over cores including means for advancing a plurality of core elements along a predetermined path and means for forming a textile covering around the core elements at a predetermined point in said path, a device for guiding the core elements and for enlarging the covering which comprises a .4 core guide provided with a plurality of grooves spaced therearound for guiding the core elements in a predetermined relation with respect to each other as they are advanced toward said point in the path thereof, said guide being provided with a bore extending therethrough, a pin having a head on one end thereof designed to fit into the bore and extend beyond the guide, and means for pressing the head of the pin against the guide to lock the pin to the guide.

3. In an apparatus for braiding a covering around a plurality of individually insulated conductors and a stay-cord including means for advancing a plurality of individually insulated conductors and a stay-cord centrally located among the conductors along a predetermined path and means for braiding a plurality of textile strands into a covering at a predetermined point in said path, a guiding and softening device, which comprises a frustoconical guide provided with a plurality of grooves spaced equi-angularly therearcund, at least one of the grooves being designed to receive two of the insulated conductors therein and one of the grooves being designed to receive only one of the insulated conductors therein, said guide also being provided with a substantially L-shaped passage leading from one side thereof to the longitudinal axis thereof for guiding the stay-cord to a position between the conductors advanced through the grooves in the guide, said guide also being provided with a pair of bores formed therethrough parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, said guide also being provided with a tapped bore located axially therein, a pair of softening pins having enlarged heads positioned in the pair of bores and projecting through said covering forming point, and a threaded member designed to be screwed into the tapered bore in the guide for locking the softening pins in the bores in the guide.

LORNE R. GUILD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,232,524 Hackbarth Feb. 18, 1941 2,377,003 Hackbarth May 29, 1945 

